Tennis is the second most popular sport in the world after football. The four major international tennis tournaments have a long history, and the first Wimbledon has a history of 157 years. Because of the strong market appeal, the prize money of the world's four major tennis open tournaments has always been very rich, and the total prize money of this year's Australian Open is as high as 86.5 million Australian dollars, equivalent to about 57 million US dollars, so tennis has always attracted a lot of attention. Although this sport used to be a relatively unpopular sport in China, tennis has set off a small climax in China with Li Na winning the women's singles Grand Slam titles at the French Open and the Australian Open 10 years ago. Influenced by Li Na's success, many parents sent their children to play tennis 10 years ago, and Zheng Qinwen is one of the representatives who have emerged in recent years.
This year's Australian Open has attracted special attention from Chinese fans. First, the Chinese players have outstanding results, Zhang Zhizhen has entered the top 4 of men's doubles, and singles has also entered the second round. Zheng Qinwen made history by reaching the women's singles final. Second, this year coincides with the 10th anniversary of Li Na winning the Australian Open women's singles championship, and at the kind invitation of the organizers, Li Na returned to Melbourne, Australia, and also participated in the tennis veteran tournament. Third, the semi-finals of Zheng Qinwen's women's singles broadcast by CCTV hit a new high, reaching 1.6%, and at its peak, the number of people watching the live broadcast reached 14 million.
As soon as the Australian Open women's singles semifinals ended, Rolex officially announced that Zheng Qinwen became the spokesperson of this well-known brand. You must know that the spokespersons of Rolex are all big names in the global entertainment and sports circles, so Zheng Qinwen will become a figure on a par with Federer, Li Na and other well-known sports stars. However, the moment Rolex announced Zheng Qinwen as its spokesperson, the entire tennis world and business circles were shocked. The young Chinese tennis player, even if she couldn't win the Australian Open women's singles final, has already shown amazing commercial value. So, what makes Zheng Qinwen the brand's favorite, and what makes her performance on the field into the "hard currency" of the market?
As a global leader in the watch industry, the choice of a Rolex brand ambassador is not only a gamble, but also a precise market positioning. Rolex chose Zheng Qinwen because of the youth, vitality and unlimited potential of the future. Three of the top four finishers at this year's Australian Open are post-00s, with the only exception being Sabalenka, who was born in 1998. Therefore, many people say that this Australian Open has caused a storm of youth. In this era of face-seeing, Zheng Qinwen's image is transcendent and fresh, and her every swing is full of power and beauty, which is exactly in line with Rolex's message to consumers: elegant and dynamic, traditional and vibrant.
Second, Zheng Qinwen's performance in the Circle has undoubtedly earned her a lot of attention. When she first debuted in 2020, Zheng Qinwen was only ranked 630th in the world, and this year, with her outstanding performance at the Australian Open, her instant world ranking has reached 7th. The rapid rise in the world ranking has caused many media to call Zheng Qinwen "Rocket Girl". Even if she failed to win the Australian Open women's singles final, Zheng Qinwen's perseverance and fighting spirit of constantly surpassing herself have deeply touched the hearts of the audience. And this spirit is exactly what the Rolex brand needs to convey to consumers, and it can inspire goodwill and trust in this leading brand.
In addition, we cannot ignore that Zheng Qinwen's success is also a microcosm of the improvement of Chinese tennis and even the overall strength of Chinese sports. With the rise of Chinese sports, the influence of Chinese athletes on the international stage has increased, and the commercial value of Chinese athletes has also risen. After Yao Ming, Liu Xiang and Li Na, internationally renowned brands have been waiting for a new idol-level athlete in China, and Zheng Qinwen, who stunned the Australian Open, is the first choice of world-renowned brands. Therefore, Rolex chose Zheng Qinwen not only to see her personal charm, but also to see the potential of the huge Chinese market behind her.
Zheng Qinwen was born in Shiyan, Hubei Province in October 2002 and began learning to play tennis at the age of 6. She and Li Na are fellow villagers in Hubei, and her enlightenment coach is also Xia Xiyao with Li Na. Zheng Qinwen's talent in tennis is very amazing, and he won two tennis gold medals at the Hubei Provincial Games at the age of 12. After that, Zheng Qinwen studied under Li Na's mentor Carlos in Beijing, and won the American International Junior Tennis Championship at the age of 16. As a teenager, Zheng Qinwen was ranked 6th in the world. After entering the professional tennis world in 2020, Zheng Qinwen was successively named the best newcomer of the year and the most improved award of the year by the WTA. In this Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen became the No. 12 women's singles seed player with her own strength.
Zheng Qinwen's outstanding performance in the arena naturally attracted many brand endorsements. AS A TEENAGER, ZHENG QINWEN SIGNED EQUIPMENT SPONSORSHIP CONTRACTS WITH NIKE AND TENNIS BRAND WILSON. In addition, the domestic beverage brand Gatorade, the dairy Yili, and the financial sector Ant Financial have also become the sponsors of Zheng Qinwen. The prize money of the 2023 Zheng Qinwen competition is $1.7 million, and the advertising endorsement income is $5.5 million. In Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid female athletes in sports in 2023, Zheng Qinwen became the only two Chinese athletes to enter the world's top 20 along with Gu Ailing (Gu Ailing ranked second). Many professionals predict that if Zheng Qinwen can win the Australian Open, her commercial value will surpass that of "Frog Princess" Gu Ailing.
Zheng Qinwen's story tells us that what she has gained is not only a surge in commercial value, but also the power of dreams and perseverance. In her, we see the persistent pursuit of dreams by the younger generation, as well as the unremitting efforts and tenacious struggle shown in the pursuit process. This spirit is undoubtedly the positive energy needed in any era, and it is also the intrinsic value that brands value when choosing spokespersons.
If Zheng Qinwen's achievements develop according to our expectations in the future, there will be more and more international and domestic brand endorsements in the future. When we talk about Zheng Qinwen's commercial value, we should not forget that her success did not happen overnight. The sweat behind the years of hard training, countless failures and challenges are all important reasons why she can stand in the center of the gorgeous stage. Zheng Qinwen's growth story inspires every young person with pursuits and ideals, no matter what field he is in, as long as he perseveres, he may create his own brilliance.
Therefore, we should not only praise Zheng Qinwen's business achievements, but also learn from her courage and determination on the road to pursuing her dreams. Zheng Qinwen's story is about how to maintain oneself in the fierce competition, how to find the motivation to grow in failure, and how to not forget the original intention after success. This is the story of every aspirant, and it is also the language that every brand wants to convey.